The Price of His Honor
by SnowFallsDown
Summary: Zuko decides from the beginning that his idea of honor is different from his father's. Iroh takes him to learn to secrets of the White Lotus. And the spirits have grown tired of the hundred year war. Eventual Zutara, Sukka, and maybe Taang
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I, the author, do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender….obviously.

This can't be right.

For year he had dreamed of only one thing, the Avatar. The Avatar was a hardened warrior, over hundred years old and with countless battles under his belt. His arsenal was the entirety of the world, all of the elements. His predecessor had leveled the imperial place on whim, and he had not lived and hidden throughout a hundred years of war. The tale of the battle would be sung by the sages for generations.

Prince Zuko and the Avatar! The exiled prince battles against the world most powerful bender to regain his honor and throne. The seas would heave. The earth would rumble. The very stars would fall from the sky. Fire, glorious fire, would consume the fabled Avatar! The world would have proof that fire is the superior element. And proof that Zuko was the true heir to the throne.

This was not that dream, this was very wrong.

This was a child, a child! Wide gray eyes stared up at him in confusion and something else... He looked so small. Chains were wrapped around his wrists, they had no shackles small enough. It took Zuko a moment to realize that he was cowering, he was afraid. The prince's mind wandered, "Was this how I looked when…"

_You will learn respect…._

"How old are you?" Zuko's voice croaked, dry and gravelly.

"Twelve," came the hesitant answer.

Twelve? Even younger then I was, the prince thought. Suddenly the boy grew taller and older, more muscular. He was wreathed in a cloak of shadow and flame. The gray eyes now burned gold.

_Suffering will be your teacher…_

The prince took an instinct step back as his memory haunted him. The startled boy looked halfway between running for it and trying to help the distraught teenager. Unknown to the Avatar, Zuko's thoughts were running a similar thread. After all if his father would do…_that _to his own son, what would be fall this child?

The exile reared his head back and let lose a roar of flame. The almost liquid fire spread out across the ceiling of the room, bathing the path in an odd amber hue. This color remained momentarily as Zuko looked back to the boy, the object of his multi-year hunt, the price of his honor.

Zuko roughly grabbed the chains around the boy's wrists, eliciting a yelp from him. Using a quick, hot, burst of fire, Zuko weakened the bindings enough to snap them. The gray-eyed boy looked up at him, waiting to see what happened next…perhaps to afraid to hope…

"Go," barked the prince, a little harsher then what he intended.

"Really!" The boys eyes lit up, his face breaking into an ear to ear smile. Zuko didn't even know people could smile like that. The prince's train of thought on overly-cheerful smiles was short-lived. The boisterous child decided to show his gratitude by glomping the gloomy teenager.

Normally, anyone in this situation would have found themselves rather…crispy. Fortunately for the Avatar, Zuko was still shocked by his own decision to free the child. Being on the floor embraced by that very same child, quite simply forced the prince's mind to shut down temporarily. The poor teenager's mind could only take in so much in one day after all. Taking the silence as an acceptance, the boy quickly began to ramble.

"Hey! Have you ever meet my friend Kuzon? He is from the Fire Nation too. Course he would really old by now. Do they still make fire fla…"

"Get off or the chains go back on."

"Yes sir!" The happy child quickly jumped back and gave the prince a mock salute. He then proceeded to ignore the smoke coming from the prince's mouth. The boy they wondered if all teenagers in this century were this grumpy. Any further musing or retaliation by Zuko was quickly as the pair heard fighting break out on the deck.

After rushing up to the deck, side by side with the Avatar, Prince Zuko was unsure whether to be impressed with the boy's friends or angry with his own men. The waterbending girl already had three of his soldiers frozen to deck and fourth was just washed overboard. Her moves were amateurish and lacked some of the pure grace the prince knew waterbenders were fabled for, but she was effective none the less. He found himself admiring the determination in her eyes, as well as some other parts of her.

The water tribe boy, thankfully without the face paint, wasn't faring as well. Obviously untrained, the boy swung his weapon wildly screaming all the while. Though even he managed to get in a couple lucky shots. The prince quickly decided that his men would be running drills for the rest of the month.

Now the third one, was entirely different story. The giant six legged bison landed short before the ship started tip towards it. Six of the soldiers stood in front of the fluffy beast, trying to figure out how to fight something like that. The bison promptly swung around and knocked them into the arctic waters with a beaver-like tail. The creature gave a deep rumbling below as it noticed that its friend was on deck.

The prince decided enough was enough.

"Stop!" he yelled, sheer command reverberating in his voice. The soldiers quickly turned to face their prince and stood at rapt attention. The water tribe siblings stood dazed as they their enemies ignored them. The water tribe boy started to "subtly" whack the head of the soldier next him when the avatar called out.

"Sokka! It's alright!" barely hiding amusement.

"The Avatar and his friends are free to leave," decried the banished prince of the Fire Nation. The soldiers quickly moved away from the water tribesmen and the bison. If any harbored doubts about the prince's actions, they kept it to themselves, for now.

Just to be sure, Zuko escorted the boy to his bison. The prince suspected that there were men abroad whose first loyalties were not to him. He would just have to burn that bridge when he came to it.

The bison, like his master, took an instant liking to the prince, when he wasn't attacking them. This new show of affection left prince once again on his ass covered in bison slobber. Wiping the large amounts of slobber from his face, the prince decided that anymore displays of affection would probably kill him…or force him to hurt someone else. Standing, Zuko found the avatar sitting on the bison's massive head with his friends in the saddle behind him. The prince locked eyes with him, "You shouldn't return to village, there will be other ships coming soon." The young avatar nodded, his face looking more grave then a twelve-year-old should.

"Come with us," said the water tribe girl. She was quickly admonished by her brother, which she ignored with practiced ease. Gold-amber eyes locked with those ocean-blues. "We could use your help."

The prince stiffened at her request. The trio clearly didn't understand the ramifications of her request. Then again, he had probably already thrown away his only chance to every return home. Maybe…

He turned his back on her, "I have committed enough treason for one day."

Not watching his nation's greatest enemy leave, the prince walked back to his private chambers. His footsteps seemed to resound louder than usual against the metal plating. The dark and silence surrounded him, as if understanding his crime. The fires lighting his path whispered, "traitor." And the shadows they cast taunted him with images of home and a lost mother. Zuko was prepared to succumb to the finality of the moment when a comforting hand placed on his shoulder.

"You did a good thing my nephew," spoke the caring voice of his uncle, "There is no honor in harming an innocent child, avatar or not."

"Thank you, Uncle."


	2. Kyoshi and Zhao

**I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender; if I did you would find this in a bookstore...and Zuko would be the main character.  
**

The bow of Prince Zuko's ship was alight with bursts of flame. They were not under attack, but still Iroh kept his distance from the front of the ship. His teenage nephew was very frustrated and angry, a common state for teenagers. And an angst-ridden teenage _firebender_ is something to back away from, even for the Dragon of the West. Instead he took the time observe his pupils technique. While the power of the fire bursts was certainly impressive, they lacked finesse and control. There was too much was energy. That is nature of anger, he mused. The old man shook his head; his nephew needed to find a new way to fuel his fire.

Not many noticed the secret smile he wore. He already had his next few moves planned out. A good Pai Sho player always did. So focused was he on his planning, he did not notice when Zuko ceased his venting. In fact, he had become very still and pensive. The young man stared off in the sea as he asked, "How long do I have?"

Iroh took a moment to consider how best to answer, "I saw a hawk leave shortly before dawn this morning. If it went to capital, we should have a couple of weeks. However, if it finds a ship it could be sooner."

Zuko's shoulders fell, "Any problems with the crew?"

"Nephew, your crew loves their prince," the general plastered on a smile that wasn't fooling anyone. The prince gave his uncle a glare in a way only a teenager could.

"Well, there may have been a few disagreements…"

A new voice spoke up behind them, "It has been taken care of, Prince Zuko." Lieutenant Jee bowed and continued when he saw the confused look, "There were some who were…displeased with your actions. They are currently in the brig."

Zuko blurted out, "Why are you helping me?"

"You are my prince, sir." Jee answered.

"I _was _a prince," the young man grumbled.

The sailor smirked, "I have not received notice from the Fire Lord disowning you from the royal family." Iroh laughed and slapped Jee on the back. More quietly he added, "And I have a son about the Avatar's age."

The soon to be ex-prince then did something Jee never would expected, the perpetually angry prince bowed to him. "Thank you, Lieutenant Jee."

"Your orders sir?"

It was Iroh, who responded, "Pull into Kyoshi Island, if you don't mind. These old bones feel a need for a walk, in somewhat neutral territory."

"Yes sir," Jee smiled.

After the sailor left, Zuko spoke up, "Why are we going to the Kyoshi?"

Iroh wore a mysterious smile, "Only a starting point, my dear nephew. You know we cannot stay on this ship. The men have already endangered their lives by helping you."

"I know that!" Zuko spat before his face fell, "I just don't know what to do."

The old hand on this troubled nephew's shoulder "Let your uncle worry about that. I have friends in many places, the gift of great tea-making!" The pair shared a smile at that, "Now if you excuse me, I must pack for our trip."

He was at the door when Zuko called to him, "Uncle?"

"Yes, nephew?"

"We are not taking the sungi horn."

Kyoshi Island was barely in sight, when the worst happened. There on the western horizon, was a glint of metal. A quick inspection with a telescope proved Zuko's fears to be true. It was a Fire Nation ship. His heart nearly stopped when he recognized the flag. Flames licked the edges of his fingers as he wrung the innocent telescope. Of all the commanders to find him, it had to be Zhao.

Zhao was well-known if not well respected. He was well-known for his ferocity, his unwavering assaults on the enemy. He embodied the fighting spirit that Ozai sought very naturally. What was even more memorable was his disdain for weakness, especially from his own men. That man would destroy any perceived weakness in the Fire Nation, even from his own prince. Zhao had witnessed Zuko's Agni Kai.

The teen turned to Iroh, "Uncle?"

Stroking his bread, the older man replied, "That was much quicker than I thought."

"Maybe father was having me followed," Zuko snapped.

"Certainly a possibility. We will have to make the rest of the trip on the boat. And we best hurry. They will be able to see a launch before soon."

Zuko turned and saw a good portion of the crew watching their prince expectantly. Now there was a problem. Zuko and Iroh could easily escape and disappear into the Earth Kingdom. A ship and its crew could not. This old ship was no match for Zhao's in either speed or firepower. And the prince couldn't let his men be sent to gallows for his own crimes.

Mulling over an idea, "Jee, I have something hard to ask of you."

The Lieutenant nodded, "I believe we are thinking of the same plan, sir."

The prince gave a salute and bowed, his uncle joined him. "You are a good man, Jee," Iroh said.

"For my princes and my men…anything."

* * *

Jee hit the deck hard, somewhere between a cough and groan. The cold metal didn't actually feel that bad against his numerous bruises. It was almost soothing. Another cough, and there was a splash of red on the gray steel. He didn't have long to contemplate just how bad that was when two guards dragged him to his knees.

"It's Jee, isn't it?" a voice asked somewhere in front of him, a familiar one.

Twisting his head, Jee found him still staring down Commander Zhao. Everyone in the Fire Nation knew Zhao, by reputation if they are lucky. Zhao was a devout follower of the Ozai Doctrine of war. It was quite simple. If you weren't Fire Nation, you were just above animals and to be treated as such. And if you didn't have the stomach for that kind of war, you were just above that...barely. Zhao was often sent trouble recruits to be "broken." The Fire Lord was kind enough to ignore the number of training accidents

In other words, Jee was royally fucked.

The commander cracked his knuckles in anticipation, "So we have a…unique situation here. Explain it to me…one more time."

Jee took a ragged breath and winced. Breathing hurt, damn it. But he was protecting his men, and his prince, that was enough to give him fire enough to stare down this monster. "There was a mutiny. Once the princes and I had secured them in the brigs, I was assigned to the helm. The princes evidently left while I was steering the ship."

The monster smiled, "And the whole crew mutinied…save, of course you."

"Yes, sir."

Zhao leaned forward, "According to my men, most of the captives are unharmed. A few are considerably more injured, at least one almost to death."

"Some mutinied more than others."

The commander backhanded the younger man, leaving a sting pain on his cheek and a coppery taste in his mouth. Jee spat a glob of blood and spit in the monster's face. A guard kicked him to floor for that. Zhao idly wiped off the blood, "Tell me where are the princes? I may even forget the charges."

"I was following orders," said Jee's muffled voice from the deck.

"Yes, that's true. But we found this ship flying the royal colors…with no royals on board. And you have admitted to being the helmsman at the time. A very serious charge."

The Lieutenant forced himself back up, quite a feat with his hands bound behind him. "I will not give you my princes."

The monster grinned, the kind of grin one sees a jackal-bat. The last one you see.

* * *

Zuko and Iroh stared silently at their little fire. Well, Zuko was watching the fire and Iroh was carefully watching the teapot. Both were trying to ignore some rather disturbing thoughts. They had seen a fire on the horizon less then hour ago. Either the men rebelled and broke out the brig or…Zuko was unable to finish the thought. There was no more he could for his men. And there were things to planned and done.

Pulling out his dagger, he watched as the light of fire danced of the keen edge. In a manner known only to the master smiths of the Earth Kingdom, the maker had written three simple words on the blade. Never give up. It was a noble sentiment for an ex-prince, an exile, and a child. Zuko was all three.

"So what am I know uncle?" he asked as he raised the dagger and sliced off his phoenix tail.

Without looking up, Iroh responded, "A good man. Come, let me help you." The teen walked over and sat before his uncle. The older man pulled out a razor and gentled shaved away the rest of his nephew's hair. He felt very old watching his nephew stare into the flames. He had lost his mother, his father and sister, his birthright, and his very home. Iroh prayed to whatever spirits would listen that he could save this child. Bitterly, he added that they owed him that much.

Zuko was too deep in thought, but his uncle noticed the fire flicker black for their briefest of moments.

Standing the both of them up, Iroh turned Zuko to face him. Rubbing his own bald head, he exclaimed, "Nephew, we match!"

A ghost of smile tugged at his lips, "You pull the look of better than me."

"It comes with age, my nephew." Rummaging through his pack, Iroh suddenly become very somber. "Oh dear, " He looked behind Zuko into the woods, "I do not believe I have enough cups for all you. Do you have any we could borrow?"

A teenager slapped his forehead and a dozen Kyoshi Warriors stepped out into the clearing.

* * *

Zuko was positive his life could not get any worse. Banished, disowned, hunted, and now he could add captured to that list. Not only captured but tied to a pole like an animal hung to dry. And to add insult to injury, he was being held with the Avatar and his friends. If he had captured him when he had the chance, none of them would be here. Granted, it would have been worse for the Avatar and in hindsight probably not much better for Zuko. Perhaps the former prince would have thought better of the situation if the orange-clad boy next him would stop talking.

"Hey Zuko! Fancy meeting you here."

"What happened to your hair?"

"Do you they still eat fireflakes in the Fire Nation?"

"How did you get captured? I was trying to ride the Unagi and almost got eaten by this giant snake thing."

Fortunately, one of their captors happened to be watching the one sided exchanged. Zuko asked of them, "Can he have a gag?"

The boy stuck his tongue out at him. Any further rebuke was cut off when the Water Tribe boy on Zuko's other side woke up. He immediately started shouting for the guys who caught them. This was followed by several sexist comments and several angry women inching closer. Zuko dropped his head and sighed.

One of the warriors stopped in front of him, "Do you have comment about women being able to fight too, fire-boy?"

Zuko smirked at her, "You obviously haven't met my sister and her friends."

The warrior seemed a little taken aback, so did the idiot boy. Iroh, somewhere down the line continued, "The Fire Nation has always had women in their military."

"I have never heard of any," said one of the warriors. Zuko noted she had a sense of command about her. Must be the leader, he mused

The teen shrugged as best he could, "They don't serve on the frontline." The leader stared to glare again and he added, "We have found they are better suited for more…discrete operations than as shock troops."

Iroh quickly threw in, "But they also serve on the navy ships. And the armor can make it hard to distinguish gender, unlike your lovely uniforms."

Zuko groaned, "I take back what I said, can _he_ have a gag?"

This seemed to satisfy the warriors, and they went on to question the others. It only ended when the Avatar airbended himself to the top of his post, proving his story. However, it was the Water Tribe girl that came to rescue of the two firebenders.

"What about them?"

The leader stated simply, "They are Fire Nation spies we caught." Iroh looked positively insulted and mumbled something about offering his best tea and too few cups.

The girl wouldn't stand for it, "Sure they are Fire Nation, and invaded my village, and captured Aang…"

The ex-prince growled, "Please, stop helping."

She blushed and continued, "What I mean was that he let us go and left my home in peace."

The Kyoshi Warrior seemed consider this for a moment. It was very contrary to anything she knew about the Fire Nation. Then she said, "Our lookouts did spot a Fire Navy ship attacking another one. What do you know about this?"

Zuko strained against his bonds at this revelation, "What happened to the smaller ship? Did it escape?"

The leader stared closely at him. She noted the fear in his voice and etched across his face. There was a silent pleading in his eyes. She shook head then turned to her subordinate, "Release them."

* * *

The scarred young man sat quietly in the house provided for their stay. He was at a loss to say the least. What does an ex-prince do with himself? Should he run away and join the circus like Ty Lee? Should he found some rebellion and wage against his militant father? No. Work in a teashop? Hell no.

He idly thought about asking if anyone on the island could use his help with…anything. He was never taught any really labor related skills, but was a fast learner. Kyoshi was a nice enough place, oceans and forests were a nice mix. The people were mostly friendly to the Fire Nation refugees. And the war had generally left the island alone. Maybe he could help the Kyoshi Warriors with a few things.

But no. He knew Uncle had some plan for the both of them. Zuko wasn't sure what to think of that. Had he gone from a worthless pawn of his father's to a not so worthless pawn of his uncle?

Any further musing was cut off with a knock on the door. The door which promptly slid open without a response from the teenager. He saw Katara, the Water Tribe girl, and decided to ignore the rudeness of it. Even more so when he saw her carrying a tray of food. She smiled prettily and said, "I thought you might like something to eat."

Zuko thanked her and sat down at the table. Remembering the lessons his mother and uncle had ground into him, he said, "Would you care to join me?" Always be kind to women and very kind to smart, beautiful women, his uncle would say.

She looked around briefly, "Where is your uncle?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "Our guard promised to show him the Kyoshi tea ceremony." The only provision, other than confiscation of weapons, for their freedom was that they be "supervised" at all times. Iroh and their supervisor quickly bonded over their mutual love of tea.

Katara giggled and sat down across from him. In the back of his mind, he decided that it was a cute giggle. The rest of his mind was very confused at this thought. They quietly ate their meal, fried rice and some fish Zuko didn't recognize. If Zuko was at a loss before, he beyond loss now. His only really interaction with girls was either with relatives or Azula's two friends. And the latter were really pleasant experiences. Even those were three years ago. He had barely seen a girl since his banishment, let alone talked with one.

"Um," Zuko started, "That's a nice necklace you have." He wanted to hang his head in shame at his lame attempt.

Katara's hand gently touched the pendant. Even the sheltered teen could tell that she looked very sad all of a sudden. "Thank you, it used to belong to my mother." It wasn't hard to guess from her tone of voice what had happened to her mother. The Fire Nation had been raiding the Southern Water Tribe for decades. _His _people had been raiding _her home_ for decades.

"I'm sorry," Zuko managed to say. For the first time in his life, he was a little ashamed to be Fire Nation. After all, he could relate to the loss of a mother. Katara looked up at him in half-surprise and half-confusion. For a moment, he thought of telling her about his own mother before thinking better of it. No need to spread the misery around.

Instead he asked, "Where is Aang? Seems like he is either bugging you or me."

Zuko was surprised to see put down her chopsticks, scowl and cross her arms. He had seen a similar look on Azula. It did not bode well. "He is off impressing the village girls with his little airbending tricks," she spat out scornfully.

"He does seem to like the attention," he said carefully.

Katara mumbled something about the savior of the world was busy flirting.

The scarred teen smiled, "I don't think an eleven year old knows how to flirt."

She barked out a laugh, "It's easy to forget just how young he is, isn't it?" The Water Tribe girl quickly noticed Zuko's face harden; his eyes stare off into the distance. It made him look older than a teen should. Her mothering instincts kicked and she placed a hand on his.

It took a few minutes, but he finally croaked out, "I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. He is just a kid, even younger than…" His voice seemed to fail him.

She managed to say "Zuko," before they heard the shouting.

Both teens quickly ran outside, nearly knocking over the table in the process. As soon as they opened the door they saw what was wrong. Kyoshi was burning.

As a third prince, and later crown prince, Zuko had military strategy shoved down his throat since he was five. He may lack Iroh's experience, but had a knack for figuring out an opponent's tactics before anyone else. There was no such plan among the firebenders attacking Kyoshi. There was no focused assault, no defense line, and no coordination whatsoever. Zhao had apparently simply told them to burn everything. Zuko bitterly thought of how proud his father would be of his commander.

He was impressed when the first reaction out of Katara was, "I don't have my bending water."

Taking a quick stock of the surroundings, he asked, "Can you use the water in the well?"

She grimaced, "I don't think I can, the water is very far down, and I am not very good yet."

Zuko felt similar without his swords, they made dealing with multiple fighters much easier. Still he stayed calm, "Its okay." He knew that the Avatar and his friends were staying at a small house at the other side of town. The side away from the flames. "Run and get it, see if you can find any of the warriors." They had to fighting somewhere else on the island. The people of Kyoshi were no pushovers.

"But Zuko…"she started to say before he interrupted her.

"Go! I will be fine," as soon as her footsteps were far enough away, he added, "I think."

Charged at the armored group of men nearest, he bended a wave of fire at their feet. Some stumbled back, a few even fell. They wouldn't be caught off guard again. He blocked a blow to his head, and quickly tripped the attacker. Then kicked him the head for good measure. Zuko barely managed to block a fireblast with one of own. This wasn't going to be easy he thought.

Despite his negative thought, he was making progress. Five were down already, but many were coming. He swept a low kick, knocking one man down while avoiding another. Swing a ring of fire around himself, the scarred prince managed to gain some breathing room. He was ready to kick out a few more blasts of fire when he heard a voice.

"Ah, Prince Zuko, There you are."

The men and the flames part, revealing the commander wearing a shit-eating grin. Zuko held fast before the man, "Where are my men Zhao?"

The older man looked very unconcerned when he said, "Oh, I do believe they are at the bottom of the sea."

"You bastard!" shouted the prince as he flung a particularly large fireball at the man. The commander easily swept it aside and returned with one of his own. Zuko dodged to side and attack from a different angle. Zhao dodged by a matter of inches. The young man smirked, "I think your hair burning Zhao."

The older man growled, swung out a fist and nearly caught the former prince across the chin. Zuko, however, did manage to land a kick to the commander's jaw. Zhao stumbled back, and waved off his men, ready to jump in. Zhao then sent a large wave of fire. The teen managed to deflect it, but not soon enough to dodge the kick to his diaphragm.

Zuko fell his knees coughing. Zhao may not be smart or agile as him, but he had superior brute strength and was armored. A second kick hit the boy's head before he could recover. He managed to get all fours again before he was hit again. The teen was no longer sure if it was Zhao or his men attacking him.

After they decided he had enough pummeling, two soldiers held up their former prince for their commander. Zhao seemed to be profusely enjoying the moment. "Just think how your father will reward me for being back you head, _Prince _Zuko," he gloated.

Zuko just hung his head; he had nothing to say to man. And his jaw was very sore at the moment.

"No words of defiance?" Zhao snorted, "Even death you are coward." He raised a hand just inches in front of the scared prince's face. Zuko could feel the heat start to gather. The teen was barely aware of the flash of gold that stuck Zhao in the temple. Or the shouts, gusts of air, and shouts from all sides.

He was, however, very aware of his uncle catching him. No other man on the planet smelled of jasmine and smoke. "That is enough, Zhao," Iroh roared out.

Zuko's mind faded into black and sleep.


	3. The Uncertian Prince

**I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender; if I did you would find this in a bookstore**

Zuko dreamed of darkness and nothing but darkness.

He stood in a cold expanse where no light existed. His shouts for help fell silent as soon as they left his mouth. He wondered if he had died and this was some special hell just for firebenders, a place devoid of any form of fire.

Then he noticed something.

The darkness was…flickering…

…like a fire….

Black flames?

Shape, a blue shape, appeared in the distance. Zuko wondered if such a thing mundane as distance existed here.

It was getting closer.

It was moving faster.

He would make out white horns.

Then he saw the gaping mouth, full of teeth and fangs.

Zuko awoke with a start and immediately regretted it. He wrapped an arm protectively around his aching and bandaged ribs. His jaw still felt a little swollen. And he was very tired. Not that he wanted to return to those dreams. A shiver ran down his spine. There was something there.

He shook his head.

It was dark in the room, but thankfully the scarred teen could make out the moon and stars through the windows. He had never been more grateful for starlight. He was on a bedroll and his bare chest was swaddled in bandages. A rather foul odor permeated from the wrappings, probably some local medicine. He hesitantly checked under the sheet.

Yep, he still had pants.

His eyes wandering the room, he noticed that he was not alone. His uncle sat as sleep leaning against a wall. The old man's face was contorted in something akin to pain and fear. Zuko wondered if he was dreaming of his beloved Lu Ten. The young man said a quick prayer for cousin and promised his uncle a new tin of tea leaves.

The other person was far more surprising. Katara. She was probably sitting up and one point, but had slid down to the floor. She had curled into a ball and was quietly sleeping. Zuko thought she looked cold. A rather odd thing that a girl from the South Pole would be cold here. Maybe she just missed her heavy furs.

Carefully, and with a fair bit of wincing, he stood up. The young man wrapped his blanket around the young girl. She accepted it with an undecipherable mumble. Zuko smiled and returned to his bedroll. He quickly fell back to sleep, hoping for better dreams.

* * *

The next time Zuko woke it was to the sound of voices.

"…Of asking the warriors, I mean I felt so useless without my bending water."

"A very wise idea, unlike earth and airbenders, a waterbender may not always be surrounded by their element. And depending only on one skill can make one in very blind in many respects."

"Don't forget firebenders," She giggles, "Imagine if all firebenders had to carry around a little lantern!"

His uncle joined in the fun, "Or spark rocks!"

They both turned to the injured teen as he started laughing himself. In a raspy voice he said, "That was certainly ruin my father's idea of fire being the superior element." Two matching grins looked down at him.

"That it certainly would nephew," Iroh said as he helped Zuko sit up.

"What happened?" the scarred teen asked.

"You should have seen Uncle Iroh," Katara began. "He walked right up to mutton chops and told him to basically go screw himself."

"Katara!" his uncle exclaimed, "Such language is unbecoming a young lady."

The young lady ignored him. "Of course the bastard refused. Uncle had him running away in less than a minute!"

Zuko turned to the older man, "She calls you uncle?"

Iroh did his best to look embarrassed, "You know how much I hate formality, Nephew."

The teen waved off any further comment, "How is everyone else?"

The water tribe girl answered again, "Everyone made it. Other than a few burns, yours were the worst injuries." She did know quite how to respond to his scowl.

Iroh did, "Katara, would you mind if I spoke with my nephew?"

She caught on, "Not at all, I wanted to talk to Suki anyways. I will visit you later, Zuko."

Katara left the room with a wave. One Zuko happily returned. His uncle looked at him smugly. Then the teen looked back at him with his usual glare. The older man tried not to laugh as he said, "I am merely glad you are talking a healthy interest in pretty girls." Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully, "I was being to wonder if your tastes lie elsewhere..."

After a moment trying to process that last sentence, the young man turned a shade of red to make a tomato proud. "Uncle!"

Iroh's face turned serious, "There is no shame to your loss to Zhao."

Zuko snorted, "He beat me without even trying."

"On the contrary, one of the reasons I had such an easy time defeating him, was the beating you gave him. You may have lost, but he did get away unharmed."

Zuko said nothing, just looked down and away. His jaw and fists clenched. The temperature in the room maybe have a raised a few degrees. His uncle continued.

"Zhao is a more experienced, stronger fighter with a greater reach and many more men."

This was all the young man could take. He turned towards his uncle and shouted, "They died because of me!"

Iroh's resolve wilted. It hurt to see he pain in his nephew's eyes. For moment, he wondered if he would cry. But no, the teen would never allow himself to cry. His father made sure of it.

He gentled wrapped his arms around Zuko and said, "They died _for_ you, my dear prince." Zuko choked back a sob and held onto his uncle for dear life.

* * *

Zuko was more than a little uncomfortable as he made his way to the communal dining. He felt out of place, to say the least. It was not as if he was being mistreated. On the contrary, the residents of Kyoshi had been very friendly towards him and his uncle since the battle. It was odd being praised for losing…or "almost wining" as Iroh put it the other day. Or maybe it was the praise itself the bothered the former prince. He was rarely allowed to leave the palace during his time in the Fire Nation, and there was no praise to be had there.

Now he was invited to a dinner celebrating the defeat of _his_ people, a defeat he had a hand in. It was all very confusing.

Not only that but he was busy trying to recall all of his etiquette lessons he had no use for over the past three years. Then he wondered how different the customs would be, he was in a different country after all. His Fire Nation customs might offend and confuse the locals. Then again he didn't even know how formal the event was even to be. Iroh had left early to help with the tea, so he couldn't ask him.

This left the befuddled teen standing outside the building wondering what to do next. He might have stayed their all night if an arrow-tattooed head hadn't poked out the door.

"Zuko! What are you doing out there? The party is in here! Flame-Yo Hotman!"

Taken aback, Zuko stared at the monk. He was trying very hard to understand just what it was Aang said. Flame-yo? Hotman? Evidently he was talking too long to decide, the boy sort of jump-glided over to the teen. Aang quickly grabbed him before he could protest and dragged him inside. Zuko might have wondered why they were going so fast if he still wasn't stuck on flame-yo.

Aang seated the older boy between him and Katara. Across from him was his uncle. Finding his usual source for advice, Zuko asked the first question that came to his mind. "Uncle what is a Flame-yo?"

The older man stared blankly for a moment than laughed a deep belly laugh. After a few moments of confused looks from the others, Iroh answered, "My great-uncle used to talk like that. It is a vernacular the Fire Nation hasn't used in a very long time."

Aang blushed and looked away. He mumbled something about Kuzon always talking like that. Zuko was again struck with the oddity of the situation. He went off on his exile expecting a glorious battle with a hundred plus avatar. Instead, a twelve year old had spent that century trapped in ice. The teen wondered what kept the boy alive. Zuko also mused that while he was an exile from his country; Aang was an exile out of time.

Neither could go home.

"Here try some of these." Zuko was broken out of his moody thoughts as Katara offered him a plate of what he assumed was sushi. He smiled appropriately and put a few his plate. After a few experimentally prods, he stuffed one in his mouth. It somehow managed to be chewy, spicy and salty all at the same time. Zuko tried to smile with his mouth as Katara looked expectantly.

"It actually isn't that different from a Water Tribe recipe Gran-Gran taught me. The chef even helped me cook it!"

As Zuko looked away and attempted to swallow, Aang leaned in. "Don't worry, you should have seen the chef. I think he was considering seppuku," he whispered.

The teen choked briefly as he was caught between swallowing and laughing. Glancing as best he could out of his damaged eye; he noticed that said girl did not look pleased. He decided that his new friends were going to be the death of him.

Any further potentially fatally conversations were interrupted by the opening of a door. A reverent silence fell over the room. Thankfully, Iroh had informed him that is was customary for the Head of Kyoshi to arrive late. And true to form Daisuke Kyoshi was approaching.

Daisuke was an old man, nearly as old as Azulon was when he died. Unlike the previous Fire Lord, his appearance belied his age. He carried himself regally, in slow but strong measured steps. Zuko was experienced enough to know that his movements told of skilled warrior not had not lost his edge. Sharp eyes scanned the faces of the room, stopping only briefly at the two firebenders. Respect and loyalty, the former prince knew, was gladly given to this man.

Zuko could understand why.

After sitting down with the grace befitting a man half his age, Daisuke spoke, "Welcome, we come here today to celebrate not only a victory and successful defense of your home, but new friends," He gestured to Aang, who seemed suddenly meek. "The Avatar returned to us after a hundred years of waiting."

Turning his attention to the Water Tribe siblings, he continued, "And our long lost cousins to the south, Katara and Sokka. My grandmother was Water Tribe actually." He said the last with a grin, and the crowd returned the favor chuckles. The two in question didn't seem to know what to do and laughed nervously along.

Finally the leader turned to Iroh and Zuko. "And last but not least, we have two men here who without need nor asking helped to defend our home. Two _Firebenders._ I honor them all as welcome guests and friends of Kyoshi Island."

He took a long drink of sake, then his voice turned somber and hard, "Bear Witness!" He spread his hands towards Aang and the others, "Members of all Four Nations, working together. Witness the hope of the world." The room erupted in applause and cheers.

Zuko wasn't truly aware of the end of the speech, the crowd or Daisuke calling on the Kyoshi Warriors for a demonstration. He was too consumed by the stone sinking into his gut. On it was written, "The hope of the world."

* * *

Zuko sat upon one of the many bluffs that made up the coasts of Kyoshi Island. He was far enough from the village that is quiet. Only the stars and crackling of fire kept the prince company. It was a massive fire, nearly tall as man. The teen was covered in twigs and leaves from the many pieces of wood he collected to make. He even asked his uncle to allow to complete this task himself. The fire burned bright and barely wavered in the ocean breeze.

He recited prayers in a language know only to the Fire Sages and the royal family.

This was when Katara crept quietly out of the forest and asked of him, "Zuko? What are you doing up here?" She hoped she didn't sound like she was accusing him.

Standing to face, he explained, "Members of the Fire Nations are to be burned so that their ashes may fly to Angi." A bitter look crossed his face, "For men lost at sea we light a pyre in effigy. And we pray for Agni to find them in the dark."

Katara thought of explaining how the Water Tribe was buried at sea, in arms of Tui. She decided against it. "I am sorry what happened to your men. It was kind of them to let us go."

Zuko's fists clenched and he turned back to stare into the flames.

Biting her lip, she continued, "You should come with us. You and Iroh can be a great help in defeating the Fire Nation."

"No."

She blinked in surprise at the quick negative response, "But I thought…"

Zuko whirled back to her, "I fought them because, they killed my men, were behaving dishonorably, and were trying to kill me."

The girls face hardened and eyes filled with anger. "Wait, so your nation banishes you and tries to kill you and you are going to do…nothing?"

Trying to calm himself, he stated, "I will not fight against my father."

She stomped her foot, "How can you say that? Can't see what the Fire Nation is doing to this world!"

"I am Fire Nation. I am a loyal son!"

"The Fire Nation is evil! It doesn't deserve any loyalty! They attacked the rest of the world. They destroyed all of Aang's people. And they killed my mother!"

A part of Zuko wept at the confirmation of his fears of fate of Katara's mother. Buried in his confusion, pain, and anger, Zuko did not hear that part of his mind speak. So he said, "Oh!" He jabbed a finger that her necklace, "Because we _hurt_ you, your hate is justified. How many people do you think died in this Angi-forsaken war? On both sides! Should you able to bury my nation beneath the waves to avenge your mother! Then Uncle can burn Ba Sing Se to ashes for Lu Ten!"

Katara stood there, shocked, guilty and hurting. Zuko took this as a chance to continue, "Is that your grand hope? The hope of the world? To murder my people to avenge your own?"

There was a sudden crack and Zuko felt a stinging pain in his cheek.

He ignored her tears and went back to his vigil. Without look back he spat out, "Go away."

There was a sniff, a sob, and the sound of feet running down the hill.

The flames roared higher as the prince screamed. He felt terrible as he contemplated the death of his man, his exile, and aspirations of these people to send a son to fight his father. Now he felt worse.

**Author's note: Thanks for reading!**


End file.
